Theus Is Treated Just Like a King

In his first season out of Nevada Las Vegas, Reggie Theus finished second behind Phil Ford in rookie-of-the-year balloting, and he was picked for the All-Star Game during his third and fifth seasons in Chicago. During the 1983 season, Theus led the Bulls in scoring (23.8), assists (5.9) and steals (1.7). But a year later, he was averaging 19.3 minutes and 8.7 points for Kevin Loughery, who was in his first season as coach in Chicago. Theus, traded to the Kings last Feb. 14 for Steve Johnson and three second-round draft choices, described his situation in Chicago as one of his biggest disappointments. When adaptability to Loughery’s system was suggested as a reason, Theus simply shook his head. “I don’t even know. I don’t know what Kevin’s reasons were for not playing me,” Theus said. “Obviously, he had some. But I’ve played in too many systems for anyone to use that as an excuse.” Dallas, which began a three-game winning streak by blistering the Kings, 135-107, Saturday in Reunion Arena, met Kansas City again Thursday night in Kemper Arena. Theus appeared in 30 games for Kansas City last year, starting 29. He averaged 15.8 points and seven assists for his 29.9 minutes. The Kings, who were 16-14 after he joined them, squeezed into the playoffs. “I like Kansas City about as much as can be expected for me,” said the 6-7 Theus, a first-round draft choice for Chicago in 1978. After losing at Houston, 112-110, Tuesday night, Kansas City is 13-21. But the Kings are 12-13 under Phil Johnson, who replaced Jack McKinney as coach after the ninth game. “Obviously, it’s been a very positive thing,” Theus said. “We’ve been playing just about .500 basketball since we changed coaches, and at times, we’ve played better than .500 basketball. I think our attitude and emotion are 100%.” Johnson, who began his NBA career as Dick Motta’s assistant in Chicago, previously spent four seasons as coach in Kansas City. He was fired during the 1978 season, returning to the Bulls as an assistant a year later. Johnson went to Utah as assistant coach in 1982. “I understand Phil’s thoughts on basketball, what he wants it to be like,” Theus said. “I was very happy he was picked as coach. I think he’s doing a great job.” Theus is averaging 15.2 points and 7.7 assists. He starts at shooting guard, but when Larry Drew was sidelined by injury, Theus and Mike Woodson, who also is averaging 15.2 points, handled the backcourt roles. “I always play both positions,” Theus said, “but I played a lot more at point guard when Larry was hurt. We basically try and share the ball, so he doesn’t always have to be responsible for running the offense.” Theus enjoyed 23 double-figure scoring performances for Kansas City last year, surpassing 20 seven times. He also led the team in assists 20 times. “Part of what I do best is pass and create things, so it kind of works into the way they use me,” Theus said. “I miss the big numbers in scoring baskets, but I think we’re playing pretty good basketball right now, and that’s the most important thing.” With four players scoring 20 or more points, Dallas established season highs for offense and field goal percentage in its last meeting with Kansas City. Rolando Blackman, the Mavericks’ shooting guard, scored 20 points, hitting six of seven field goal attempts. “There aren’t many guys who play the two-spot who can’t score,” Theus said. “Some teams obviously are harder to play against because of their execution in their half-court game. Dallas has done a great job of that. Our defensive philosophy is that you seldom play a man one-on-one. You’re always helping, but it doesn’t always work.

“Defenses are designed to stop the offense, and offenses are designed to make the play work. A lot of times it balances itself out. If you can keep a guy to his average or under, you’ve done a pretty good job, especially if you’re talking about scorers. Guys who shoot the ball a lot are going to score points.” Blackman, who played at Kansas State, is averaging 18.4 points. He has reached 20 only twice in his last nine games, but he supplied critical second-half points in the victories Monday in Seattle and Tuesday in Portland. “I always look forward to playing in Kansas City. It’s the place I call home, for real anyway,” said Blackman, who averaged 22.4 points last year. “I know they’ve got a lot of incentives going after last week. They know we’ve been winning on the road, and they want to end it for us.” In the Western Conference, only Golden State, which gets a visit from the Mavericks next Tuesday, has fewer victories than Kansas City. But the Kings still are thinking about the playoffs. “The playoffs are very realistic right now. We’re only five games behind Dallas right now,” Theus said. “There’s only like seven games from top to bottom. It’s pretty much wide-open in my eyes, and I think in our team’s eyes. “If we would have gotten off to just an adequate start, we’d be around the top three teams right now. But we’ve done well for ourselves. We’re playing hard, which makes it interesting. It was something you’d rather not go through, but we’re making the most of it.”